beginnings

God Is the Best Explanation for the Origin of the Universe

On February 1st, 2013 at Purdue University, Dr William Lane Craig participated in a debate with Dr Alex Rosenberg on the topic, "Is Faith In God Reasonable?" Over 5,000 people watched the event on the Purdue University campus along with tens of thousands streaming it live online from around the world. This clip is the second of eight arguments that Dr Craig presented in his opening statement.

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Creation, Theology and The End of the Universe (John MacArthur)

http://www.gty.org/video/conferences/2009-SC-01

Taken from the Shepherds' Conference ©2009 by John MacArthur. For more information, visit www.shepherdsfellowship.org.

The Theology of Creation (John MacArthur)

On Sunday nights here at Grace Church for many months, we have been dealing with very important matters of theology, great doctrines that are critical for our understanding of the Christian faith, and therefore our service to the Lord. And tonight I want to embrace one that is certainly foundational, I want to call it, "The Theology of Creation...The Theology of Creation." Creation is a theological issue, not a scientific issue. Theology is the only source from which we have any information about creation. Any study of creation must come in the framework of theology because it is a word from God.

Theology, by the way, used to be called the queen of the sciences. It was called the queen of the sciences because in the final analysis the ultimate reigning truth is theology. Biblical theology, the revelation of God in Scripture, trumps all other sources of information and knowledge. And so, for centuries creation was a theological issue, not a scientific one. And then came Darwin and Darwin confiscated the subject of creation out of the realm of theology and tried to put into the realm of human knowledge and did no service to mankind.

If we want to understand creation, if we want to understand origins, if we want to understand how the universe came into existence and everything that is in it, we have to look at theology, not science. And the source of theology is the Word of God in which God speaks. The Bible is not theory, the Bible is fact. The Bible is reality. The Bible is truth no matter what subject it addresses, but particularly with regard to origins since no one was here when God created, we have only His eyewitness account.

God: Creator, Judge, Redeemer

What's at stake in the ongoing battle for the beginning? Worship. Period.
From cover to cover, the Bible asserts and affirms the Genesis account to exalt God for who He really is—the Creator. We should reflect that pattern too. In fact, that's not an option. As Sovereign Creator, God demands to be worshiped. John explains . . .

Day One

"The earth was formless and void, and darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was moving over the surface of the waters." It's a short and well-known verse of Scripture, but don't let brevity or familiarity eclipse the significance of Genesis 1:2. God is introducing us to some incredible things about to take place on the very first day of creation.

John MacArthur explains . . .
http://www.gty.org/Blog/B100708

The Facts About Fossils

What are fossils? How were they formed? What clues, if any, do they provide for determining the age of the earth? Today, John MacArthur answers those questions as he explains what the fossil record proves, and maybe more important, what it doesn't prove.

You've probably heard evolutionists use the existence of the fossil record to try and pin an extremely old age on the earth. They talk about radiometric dating, radioactive isotopes, and geologic scales of time, all to convince you the earth is billions of years old. But their research is driven by massive underlying assumptions—one of them involves how living creatures became fossilized in the first place. John explains . . .

Here's an important question for the comment thread: Fossils didn't exist before death; death didn't exist before human sin; human sin didn't exist before Adam. So, where did much of the fossil record come from? The flood.

If you don't agree, how do you reconcile the fossil record with those biblical truths?

Changing the Rules: Genesis 1-3

The straightforward, literal reading of Genesis 1-3 has proven to be a stubborn obstacle for those who embrace the "millions and billions of years ago" myth. To get around it, some evangelicals try to change the rules of interpretation in the first chapters of Genesis. After all, if the biblical creation account wasn't meant to be taken literally, then those who insist upon a literal, six-day creation aren't just wrong, they are doing violence to authorial intent.

Here's their simple (yet clever) tactic: they start by saying Genesis 1-11, especially the first three chapters, is Hebrew poetry. Some go further, saying it's allegory--the words aren't important; they're just a literary device God used to teach deeper, hidden truths. Liberals deny the supernatural elements altogether, claiming the biblical creation account is nothing but an elaborate myth. The point is, by changing authorial intent, they believe they can change the rules of interpretation too. In plain language, anything goes. Scripture becomes soft clay in the hands of the interpreter, to be molded according to his personal bias.

Is Genesis 1-3 poetry? Is it allegory? How would a poetic or allegorical view of the early chapters of Genesis harmonize with how the rest of Scripture treats the creation account, especially in the New Testament?

Listen to John's sermon excerpt, then reflect on the following scenario for the comment thread: Consider two different interpreters of the creation account—the first believes Genesis to be purely a historical account, but does not believe it. The second believes Genesis 1 and 2 are completely true, but were written as poetry or allegory. Which approach has more integrity, and why?

Age of the universe - William Lane Craig

Dr William Lane Craig share some thoughts about Christianity and the age of the earth.

The Theology of Creation, Pt. 2 (#3 of 3)

When the Bible speaks with regard to creation, or when it speaks with regard to origins, it speaks truly, it speaks factually. And Scripture begins in Genesis 1 and 2 with a very straightforward account of the origin of the universe and the earth and everything on the earth. Scripture opens with one very clear unmistakable statement, it is this, Genesis 1:1, In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. That is not an ambiguous statement. That is not an unclear statement. That is frankly not a statement that needs any explanation. Pre-Darwin, no one was confused by it. In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. From there the first chapter of Genesis proceeds to tell us that in six twenty-four hour days God created everything that exists. It is so simple and so clear and so unmistakable that even a small child can understand Genesis 1

The Theology of Creation, Pt. 2 (#2 of 3)

When the Bible speaks with regard to creation, or when it speaks with regard to origins, it speaks truly, it speaks factually. And Scripture begins in Genesis 1 and 2 with a very straightforward account of the origin of the universe and the earth and everything on the earth. Scripture opens with one very clear unmistakable statement, it is this, Genesis 1:1, In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. That is not an ambiguous statement. That is not an unclear statement. That is frankly not a statement that needs any explanation. Pre-Darwin, no one was confused by it. In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. From there the first chapter of Genesis proceeds to tell us that in six twenty-four hour days God created everything that exists. It is so simple and so clear and so unmistakable that even a small child can understand Genesis 1

The Theology of Creation, Pt. 2 (#1 of 3)

When the Bible speaks with regard to creation, or when it speaks with regard to origins, it speaks truly, it speaks factually. And Scripture begins in Genesis 1 and 2 with a very straightforward account of the origin of the universe and the earth and everything on the earth. Scripture opens with one very clear unmistakable statement, it is this, Genesis 1:1, In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. That is not an ambiguous statement. That is not an unclear statement. That is frankly not a statement that needs any explanation. Pre-Darwin, no one was confused by it. In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. From there the first chapter of Genesis proceeds to tell us that in six twenty-four hour days God created everything that exists. It is so simple and so clear and so unmistakable that even a small child can understand Genesis 1

The Theology of Creation, Pt. 1 (#3 of 3)

Theology used to be called the queen of the sciences. It was called the queen of the sciences because in the final analysis the ultimate reigning truth is theology. Biblical theology, the revelation of God in Scripture, trumps all other sources of information and knowledge. And so, for centuries creation was a theological issue, not a scientific one. And then came Darwin and Darwin confiscated the subject of creation out of the realm of theology and tried to put into the realm of human knowledge and did no service to mankind.

The Theology of Creation, Pt. 1 (#2 of 3)

Theology used to be called the queen of the sciences. It was called the queen of the sciences because in the final analysis the ultimate reigning truth is theology. Biblical theology, the revelation of God in Scripture, trumps all other sources of information and knowledge. And so, for centuries creation was a theological issue, not a scientific one. And then came Darwin and Darwin confiscated the subject of creation out of the realm of theology and tried to put into the realm of human knowledge and did no service to mankind.

The Theology of Creation, Pt. 1 (#1 of 3)

Theology used to be called the queen of the sciences. It was called the queen of the sciences because in the final analysis the ultimate reigning truth is theology. Biblical theology, the revelation of God in Scripture, trumps all other sources of information and knowledge. And so, for centuries creation was a theological issue, not a scientific one. And then came Darwin and Darwin confiscated the subject of creation out of the realm of theology and tried to put into the realm of human knowledge and did no service to mankind.

The Theology of Creation, Pt. 2 (John MacArthur)

Have you ever wondered why the Bible begins with the account of creation? From a chronological perspective it makes sense why not begin with the beginning? The bible begins with creation because it sets the tone for all of scripture. In the same way how we view it colors how we view all of Gods word. So, how do you view creation? Is it literal or symbolic? Is it non-negotiable or is there room for evolution? Those are important answers to know and pastor John MacArthur is about to provide them. Open your bible to page one, and lets discover what they are.

What's Genesis?